COVID In Minnesota: 24 More Deaths As Total Vaccine Doses Administered Surpasses 777,000
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- While the state's vaccination push continues and researchers are surveying for new COVID-19 variants, state health officials reported Thursday 907 new cases of the virus and 24 more deaths. Meanwhile, the number of vaccination doses given in Minnesota has climbed to over 777,000.
The latest update from the Minnesota Department of Health shows that the state's cumulative COVID-19 case count stands at 470,803 while the death toll has reached 6,343. Of the most recent deaths, 13 were residents in long-term care facilities. Those in nursing homes and other assisted living facilities have accounted for nearly 63% of the state's COVID-19 deaths.
In December, the state's vaccine rollout started with residents in long-term care and frontline health care workers. It's since expanded to include educators, child care workers and Minnesotans ages 65 and older, who can now get their shots at health clinics across the state. Still, vaccine supply is limited. For instance, many teachers have not been able to get doses even though many districts began welcoming students back to classrooms -- some for the first time since last spring.
RELATED: Minnesota Health Officials Work To Keep Up With COVID Variants
According to the state's vaccine dashboard, 777,459 doses have been administered as of Tuesday, mostly of the Pfizer vaccine. Nearly 11% of the state's population has received their first shot while just over 3% of the population has received the full series.
In Minnesota hospitals, 320 people are currently battling the virus, with 78 patients in intensive care beds. Hospitalizations have returned to levels seen over the summer before autumn brought a surge in cases that threatened to overwhelm hospitals and resulted in weeks of tightened restrictions.
In the last 24 hours, more than 43,000 tests were processed in Minnesota, suggesting a daily positivity rate of 2.1%. Per the state's Dial Back Dashboard, the rolling seven-day average dropped to 4% as of Feb. 1, a full percentage point below what health officials say is the "caution" threshold. Still, over the same week, the number of cases attributed to community spread reached a record high of 40%.
Since the start of the pandemic nearly a year ago, 3.3 million people in Minnesota have been tested for the coronavirus. Of those who've tested positive, 456,849 have recovered and no longer need to self-isolate.